Category Archives: persecution

3 Bold & Radical Martin Luther King Quotations

Posted on January 21, 2013 by

3 bold, radical, and ignored quotes from Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.: “God has a way of standing before the nations with judgment, and it seems that I can hear God saying to America, ‘You’re too arrogant! And if you … Continue reading →

Posted in America, arrogance, Be still and know that I am God, bold, change, change agent, Christ, Christ followers, Christian, Christian community, Christian history, church history, colony of heaven, commitment, contemporary church, disturbers of the peace, drunk, early church, gladiators, God calling, God-intoxicated, hearing God, hearing Jesus, ignored, infanticide, Jesus, Jesus Christ, judgment, MLK, mores, obey God rather than men, outside agitators, persecution, popular opinion, power, powerful, quote, Quotes, radical, radical obedience, Spirit-filled, Spirit-led, spiritual, spirituality, thermometer, thermostat, voice of God | Tagged , , , , , , | 1 Comment

Is America Violent & Alienated From God Like Jean Valjean In Les Misérables?

Posted on December 28, 2012 by

Les Misérables, the new movie musical staring Hugh Jackman, Russell Crowe, Anne Hathaway, and Amanda Seyfried, beautifully brings Victor Hugo’s 1862 French novel to life.  However, it made me wonder:  Is America violent and alienated from God like the main … Continue reading →

Posted in 20th Century, 21st Century, alternative lifestyle, Augustine, brainwashed, brainwashing, C.S. Lewis, Christ, Christ-centered, Christian, Christian community, Christian values, Christianity, conscience, conversion, convert, conviction, conviction of sin, cruel, devotion, discouragement, evangelism, faith, faith-based, faithfulness, fear, feelings, freedom, French novels, God, harmful thinking, hearing God, history, human nature, Jesus, Jesus Christ, John Wesley, life, lifestyle Christianity, lifestyles, meaning, message, misery, moral failure, moral principles, morality, morals, movie, movie review, movies, musicals, mysticism, new birth, obedience, persecution, popular culture, prayer, relevation, religion, repentance, salvation, search for significance, spiritual, spiritual awakening, spiritual formation, spiritual healing, spiritual themes, spiritual transformation, values, Victor Hugo | Tagged , , , , , , , , , | 4 Comments

Views of Violence

Posted on December 18, 2012 by

If certain foreign nations and their leaders can be called evil (Axis of Evil, Evil Empire, etc.) and foreign terrorists and/or suicide bombers can be called evil, why aren’t America’s home-grown terrorists and mass murderers called evil? Why aren’t all … Continue reading →

Posted in Axis of Evil, Evil Empire, foreign terrorists, home grown, Jesus, Jesus Christ, love your enemies, medicine, persecution, pre-natal, prenatal, prenatal medicine, Quotations, quote, Quotes | Tagged , , , , , , | 6 Comments

Why does a society that prides itself on tolerance and the accepting of diversity into the mainstream; marginalize the praying community?

Posted on December 7, 2012 by

Why does a society that prides itself on tolerance and the accepting of diversity into the mainstream; marginalize the praying community?  

Posted in acceptance, alternative lifestyle, attitude, boundaries, brainwashed, brainwashing, change, choice, comment, community, compassion, compromise, confession, conscience, controversial, controversy, convenience, conviction, criticism, current events, deception, denial, hate, hate speech, human nature, human rights, hypocrisy, insight, lifestyles, mystery, persecution, philosophical, philosophy, prayer, prayer walking, prayer without ceasing, prayers don't get past the ceiling, praying, praying community, praying in tongues, reasoning, revelation, societal, society | Tagged , , , , , | 1 Comment

Drunk Christians?

Posted on August 3, 2012 by

Some observers of the early Christians made fun of them and said:  “They have had too much wine.”  (Would you use the word “drunk” to describe a gathering of Christians, nowadays?) Here’s the response to that accusation, given by Jesus’ … Continue reading →

Posted in Acts 2, acts of God, alcohol, Alcoholics Anonymous, alternative lifestyle, Apostle Peter, Berry Street, Berry Street Worship Center, Bible, Biblical concept, booze it up, Christ, Christ-centered, Christian, Christian community, church, church history, church meetings, drinking, DUI, Ephesus, filled with the Spirit, free spirit, good sermon, guilt, hangover, inner peace, inner rivers, Jesus, Jesus Christ, Jesus' mother Mary, life, lifestyle Christianity, makes change, miracles, missional, morality, morals, move of God, movement, Music City, mysticism, Nashville, New Testament, new wine, Oh my God, on the web, Paul of Tarsus, peace, persecution, Peter, preaching, presence of God, priesthood of the believer, prophesy, prophet, prophet Joel, quench the Spirit, quote, Quotes, reformation, salvation, sober up, spiritual, spiritual awakening, spiritual drunkenness, spiritual formation, spiritual growth, testimony, This is that spoken by the prophet Joel, Why be a Christian? | Tagged , , , , , , | 11 Comments

Ideas to Tone Down the NBA, the NFL, and the Olympics

Posted on June 25, 2012 by

What if they made a new rule to tone down the London Olympics by requiring all Olympic athletes to have one arm tied behind their back during competition?  Would you be okay with that? What if, in order to reduce … Continue reading →

Posted in 21st Century, Acts, American church, basketball, Berry Street, Berry Street Worship Center, bold statements, burning heart, Christian community, Christianity, church history, church roles, church structure, current events, early church, East Nashville, England, faith-based, football, heart-felt love, house church, I Corinthians 14:26, Jesus, Jesus Christ, kingdom of God, lifestyles, London, Music City, mysticism, Nashville, non-church, non-church movement, non-traditional church, Olympics, open church, order of worship, participatory church, persecution, popular culture, post-Christianity, powerless, reality TV, relational church, religion, religious ceremonies, repentance, revelation, simple church, Spirit-led, spiritual, spiritual formation, sporting event, sports, television, the way we do church, true Christian life, TV, TV network, UK, Uncategorized, Western religion, Western world, What is church? | Tagged , , , , , , , | 2 Comments

Cross Ways — The Passion Of The Christ

Posted on April 6, 2012 by

Crucifixion is one of the cruelest forms of execution ever invented.  Its purpose was not just to put a man to death.  It was to bring extreme public shame and to cause the greatest possible amount of physical suffering. Crucifixion … Continue reading →

Posted in Christ, Christian history, Christianity, church history, Constantine, conviction of sin, crucifixion, Good Friday, history, mystery, persecution, Quotations, quote, Quotes, religion, revolution, Roman, Son-shine, spiritual combat, spiritual warfare, the cross, torture, Uncategorized, wages of sin, wake-up call, Why be a Christian?, WWJD? | Tagged , , , , , , , | 2 Comments

Why have multitudes given up on church? What’s missing in our contemporary American church that the early church had in Acts? Here are some possibilities . . . Humility, brokenness, awe, tears, passion, conviction of sin, excitement, self-denial, testimonies, openness, the priesthood of the believer, repentance, persecution, confession, participation, boldness, power, deliverance, miracles, opportunities to minister to one another, healing. Can you think of more things the early church had that we seem to be lacking?

Posted on April 2, 2012 by
Posted in Acts, American church, Americans, ancient history, awe, brokenness, Christianity, church, church history, church structure, conviction of sin, crying, deliverance, early church, ekklesia, forgiveness, humility, lifestyles, miracles, non-traditional church, order of worship, organic church, participatory church, persecution, priesthood of the believer, religion, repent, repentance, self-denial, simple church, sin, spiritual, spiritual formation, spiritual skills, tears, the way we do church, Uncategorized, Western religion, What is church? | Tagged , , , , , , , | 12 Comments